Rowayton Posts Mixed Quarterly Real Estate Results

Quarterly update...

Spring shower.

Rowayton posted mixed residential real estate results for the first quarter of 2018 compared with the same period a year ago.

Highlights of the year-to-date and year-over-year comparisons, according to the Darien MLS today, are:

-- Total active listings:  0 percent;

-- Number sold: -53 percent;

-- Sold volume: -41 percent, and

-- Average sale price: +26 percent.

For more:

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

Back to the Suburbs Moves Resume.

Darien Ends Lower Real Estate Quarter

Quarterly update...

A touch of spring.

Darien ended the first quarter of 2018 with lower residential real estate results compared with the same period a year ago.

Highlights of the year-to-date and year-over-year comparisons, according to the Darien MLS today, are:

-- Total active listings:  +7 percent;

-- Number sold: -24 percent;

-- Sold volume: -29 percent, and

-- Average sale price: -6 percent.

For more:

 Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Rowayton Posts Mixed Quarterly Real Estate Results.

Smile: Get Ready for Your New Week

Fun...

For fun videos:

-- GEICO: Furniture assembly: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wHXV/geico-the-gecko-attempts-furniture-assembly

-- GEICO: How to draw a masterpiece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nfwct0IeMg

-- Progressive: Tool room: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wgn0/progressive-name-your-price-tool-tool-room

-- Progressive: High council: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wF2A/progressive-high-council

-- Progressive: Motormouth: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/w_bN/progressive-motorcycle-insurance-motormouth

Photos: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:
Darien Ends Lower Real Estate Quarter.

Musical Moments -- Hallelujah Chorus

Happy Easter and Passover...

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

Today's selection is the beautiful Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUZEtVbJT5c

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Smile: Get Ready for Your New Week.

Darien Sees Uptick in Real Estate Activity

Weekly update...

Little Italy, NY, Harriet Westfall.

Darien saw an uptick in residential real estate activity in the week ending today.

Results, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- Eight new listings of property for sale;

-- 14 price changes;

-- Nine accepted offers;

-- Two properties going under contract, and

-- Three closings.

For more:

Next time on The Allen Report:

Musical Moments -- Hallelujah Chorus.

The Next Russian Cyber Attack Will be Far Worse

Undermining democracies...

Future Russian cyber attacks are expected to be far more sophisticated.

Editors Note: In the very near term, writes Alina Polyakova, technological advancements in artificial intelligence and cyber capabilities will open opportunities for malicious actors to undermine democracies more covertly and effectively than what we have seen so far. An all-out attack on Western critical infrastructure seems inevitable.

On March 15, the Department of Homeland Security together with the FBI 

announced that Russian government hackers infiltrated critical infrastructures in the U.S.—including “energy, nuclear, commercial facilities, water, aviation, and critical manufacturing sectors,”  Alina Polyakova writes on brookings.edu.

According to the DHS-FBI report, malicious Russian activities have been ongoing since at least March 2016. The Russian malware, which has been sitting in the control systems of various U.S. utilities, allows the Russians to shut off power or sabotage the energy grids. And they have done it before: The same malware that took down Ukraine’s electrical grid in 2015 and 2016 has been detected in U.S. utilities, Polyakova reported.

The potential damage of a nationwide black out—let’s say on Election Day—would be significant, to say the least. And while Russian trolls and bots have captured public attention, they are already yesterday’s game. As I write in a recent Brookings paper, the future of political warfare is in the cyber domain, she added.

For more of a fascinating report: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2018/03/22/the-next-russian-attack-will-be-far-worse-than-bots-and-trolls/?utm_campaign=Brookings%20Brief&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=61599999

Photo: Giphy.

Next time on The Allen Report:
The Latest Darien Real Estate Update.

Cyber Attack Hobbles Atlanta

Security experts shudder...

Atlanta's municipal government has been brought to its knees 

by a large ransomware cyber attack.

The City of Atlanta's 8,000 employees got the word on Tuesday that they had been waiting for: It was Ok to turn their computers on, Alan Blinder and Nicole Perlroth report on nytimes.com.

But as the city government's desktops, hard drives and printers flickered back to life for the first time in five days, residents still could not pay their traffic tickets or water bills online or report potholes or graffiti on a city website.  Travelers at the world's busiest airport still could not use the free Wi-Fi, Blinder and Perlroth added.

For more of the ransomware attack on Atlanta:  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/us/cyberattack-atlanta-ransomware.html

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

The Next Russian Cyber Attack Will be Far Worse. 

Facebook Quiz Data May Have Been Used Illicitly for Politics

Emerging scandal...

An emerging scandal in which Facebook data may have been used illicitly to target political messages has a lot to teach consumers about privacy on social media, Jerrry Beilinson reports on consumerreports.org.

The data apparently was collected through one of those quizzes that can seem to colonize users' Facebook feeds.  In this case, it was a personality quiz called "thisisyourdigitallife," devised by Aleksandr Kogan, a psychology professor at the University of Cambridge, Beilinson wrote.

The New York Times has reported, and Facebook has confirmed, that Cambridge Analytica, a political data firm that worked for the campaigns of Ted Cruz and then Donald Trump, acquired data from a company associated with Kogan on about 50 million Facebook users, without their permission, Beilinson added.

For more: https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/facebook-data-illicitly-collected-for-politics-and-what-it-means-for-privacy/

Photos: Giphy, Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:
Cyber Attack Hobbles Atlanta.

The Acupuncture Vet

A vet who specializes in house calls...

You won't feel a thing.

Dr. Jeff Levy knocked gently on an apartment door on the Lower East Side of Manhattan on a Tuesday afternoon, Corey Kilgannon reports on nytimes.com.

"I knock lightly because dogs can get upset if you knock loud, or with a cat, it might run under a bed," said Dr. Levy, a veterinarian who specializes in acupuncture, exclusively by house call.

This house call was for Harpo, a 10-year-old toy fox terrier with a liver tumor that was diagnosed a year ago as terminal and untreatable.

"They told me to just keep him happy for his last couple of months," said Harpo's owner, Jess Caragiliano, 36, who heard that Dr. Levy, 61, could help provide palliative care during Harpo's last few weeks.

For more of a wonderful story:  https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/nyregion/with-a-metrocard-and-needles-a-vet-makes-house-calls.html

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 
Facebook Quiz Data May Have Been Used Illicitly in Politics.

2018: A Tough Year for First-Time Buyers

A new set of problems...

Looks good, but should we do it?

Taking the step to buy your first home may feel like a leap -- across a canyon, Jen Miller reports on nytimes.com.

You will probably be spending more money at once than you have ever spent in your life, and committing to spend even more money you don't have, all while becoming responsible for something that won't necessarily love you back, Miller wrote.

To make matters worse, 2018 presents a new set of problems for rookie home buyers: a new tax law whose full effects have yet to be felt on homeowner taxes or property values; record low inventory; tough credit, and rising mortgage rates, she added.

So, should you make the leap?

For more:  https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/realestate/2018-a-tough-year-for-first-time-buyers.html

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

The Acupuncture Vet.

Smile: Your New Week Awaits

Enjoy...

Charlie's jokes always bring the house down.

For videos to start your new week:

-- Capital One: I'm not a doctor: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wWUo/capital-one-quicksilver-psychiatrist-featuring-samuel-l-jackson

-- Chevy: Freeway talk: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wmlw/chevrolet-freeway-talk

-- Progressive: Motormouth: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/w_bN/progressive-motorcycle-insurance-motormouth

-- Subaru: Making memories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4riCz3wrNI

-- Ford Expedition: We the people: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wmW5/2018-ford-expedition-we-the-people

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:
2018: A Tough Year for First-Time Buyers.

March for Our Lives May be Biggest Single-Day Protest in Washington's History

Washington crowd estimated at 800,000...

March for Our Lives organizers estimate 800,000 protesters attended the gun-control demonstration in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, Jessica Durando reports on usatoday.com.

If they are correct, the event would be the largest single-day protest in the history of the nation's capital, Durando wrote.

The total is bigger than the inaugural Women's March, which brought 500,000 to D.C., according to the Washington Post, Durando added.

The number doesn't include large rallies in cities such as Boston, Houston, Minneapolis and Parkland, Fla, the site of the Valentine's Day attack at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 people dead, Durando noted.

For more, including photos of more than 40 signs at today's march in Washington: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/24/march-our-lives-could-become-biggest-single-day-protest-d-c-nations-history/455675002/

Photos: usatoday.com, twitter.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

Smile: Your New Week Awaits.

Musical Moments: Reverie, Debussy

Beautiful...

Paris Greys.

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

This week's selection in Debussy's beautiful Reverie:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0CLYpYKHNY

Photo: Harriet Westfall.

Next time on The Allen Report:
March for Our Lives May be Biggest Single-Day Protest in D.C.'s History.

Darien Ends a Busy Real Estate Week

Weekly update...

Ocean Deep.

Darien ended a busy residential real estate week today.

Results, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- 14 new listings of property for sale;

-- Six price changes;

-- Six accepted offers;

-- Two properties going under contract, and

-- Four closings.

For more:

Next time on The Allen Report:

Musical Moments: Reverie, Debussy.

IBM Watson is Coming to Cars, Homes and More

A wide-range of new uses...

IBM Watson is taking to the road and aiming for many other new places, 
including the home.

IBM launched a new service this week aimed at companies looking to build voice-activated virtual assistants for their own products, James Vincent reports on theverge.com.

Want your hotel's rooms to remember a guest's preferences for air-con?  Or your car's dashboard to be controllable via voice interface, Vincent wrote.

IBM's message to companies is: We can help you build that, Vincent added.

For more: https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2018/3/20/17142232/ibm-voice-assistant-watson-b2b-enterprise-interface

Photo: engadget.com

Next time on The Allen Report: 
The Latest Darien Real Estate Update.

How to Avoid Hackers

Could you be hacked?

Hackers at work.

How to avoid hackers?

Caleb Barlow, the vice president of threat intelligence at IBM, and NBC News correspondent Tom Costello join Megyn Kelly with smart ways to keep your information out of the hands of hackers.

For an excellent video with tips on how you can protect yourself: https://www.today.com/video/find-out-how-to-avoid-hackers-1190299203747

Photos: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:
IBM Watson is Coming to Cars, Homes and More.

Remembering Harriet Westfall

Rest in peace...

Our family received word of the loss of Harriet Westfall yesterday,

Harriet was the wife and partner of Ron Westfall for more than four decades.  She was the mother of Ron and Tony.  She was a grandmother to four.  She was the sister of my wife, Linda, and aunt to our daughters Katie and Meg.  And she was a friend to many.

She had a wonderful sense of humor, a love of family and friends, and she cherished her country.

We are all profoundly saddened by her loss.

Harriet was born and raised in Washington.  She and Linda grew up in an upper NW Washington neighborhood on the line between the District of Columbia and Bethesda, Maryland.

Harriet was a graduate of the University of West Virginia.

After raising her family, she joined U.S. News & World Report magazine, where she was its makeup editor.

Her love of art led her to painting, and here are a few of her exceptional works:

Ocean Deep.

Balancing Act.

Line Dance.

We miss you. God speed.

Photos: Harriet Westfall, Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

How to Avoid Hackers.

The Best and Worst New Cars

Ranking the pack..

Top pick, best over all: Toyota Highlander.

Not all cars are created equal, and we have the data to prove it, consumerreports.org writes.

Of course, numbers can tell a variety of tales, and we understand every consumer has different priorities, the service added.

To that end, we have compiled a series of the best and the worst car lists to highlight performance in a wide variety of categories.

To see how your favorites rate: https://www.consumerreports.org/new-cars/best-and-worst-new-cars/

Another view of rankings, according to consumerreports.org.

Photo: consumerreports.org. 

Next time on The Allen Report:
Remembering Harriet Westfall.

Blunder Reveals China's Ambitious Navy Plans

Aiming for a world-class navy...

A model of China's Type 003 nuclear-powered super carrier

 with four catapults and J-20 fighters.

For a brief moment, the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), put online China's next big naval projects (but quickly pulled them down), Jeffrey Lin and P. W. Singer report on popsci.com.

The revelation, of which screenshots were taken before censors intervened, provided a picture of China's ambitions for a world-class navy, Lin and Singer wrote.

For more of their fascinating report: https://www.popsci.com/amp/china-nuclear-submarine-aircraft-carrier-leak

A concept of a Type 095 SSN, China's new stealthy, pumpjet-powered submarine

 with cells for a wide range of cruise missiles.

Photos: popsci.com

Next time on The Allen Report: 
The Best and Worst New Cars.

Smile and Spring into Your New Week

Fun...

Oops. March madness just decked our intrepid reporter.

Start your week with a smile:

-- Allstate: March Mayhem: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7I4j/allstate-march-mayhem

-- Allstate: Douglas Fir: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wNj2/allstate-mayhem-douglas-fir

-- GEICO: McGruff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ENoQBPToMM

-- GEICO: Karate Therapy: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wQe7/geico-karate-therapy

-- Old Spice: Red Sweater: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZV6ebHoJ08

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 
Blunder Reveals China's Ambitious Navy Plans.

Musical Moments: Danny Boy

Wonderful...

Eric Clapton.

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

What could be better than Danny Boy to mark St. Patrick's Day?

For Eric Clapton's wonderful rendition of an old favorite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP-VCRyNIC4 and just song with still of Clapton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuznaEyzBzs

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 
Smile and Spring into Your New Week.

Darien Finishes an Active Real Estate Week

Weekly update...

An Irish hillside on a cloudy day.

Darien finished an active residential real estate week today.

Results, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- 17 new listings of property for sale;

-- 12 price changes;

-- Five accepted offers;

-- Three properties going under contract, and

-- One closing.

For more:

Next time on The Allen Report:

Musical Moments: Danny Boy.

Aboard the U.S. Nuclear Sub Challenging Russia in the Arctic

Patrolling at an international flash point...

The U.S. Navy's USS Hartford surfaced near the Arctic Circle in 2016.

Nearly invisible to the enemy as it stalks the oceans depths, the USS Hartford, a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered submarine, provides the U.S. Navy with a lethal combination of stealth and firepower, Jim Sciutto and Zachary Cohen report on cnn.com.

Thousands of miles from home port, the Hartford cruises the Arctic Ocean -- the site of a potential flash point between Russia and the U.S., they wrote.

For more, including an fascinating video of the launching a torpedo and surfacing through the Arctic ice: https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/03/14/politics/uss-hartford-nuclear-submarine-arctic/index.html

Photos: cnn.com, Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

The Latest Darien Real Estate Update.

Six Smart Upgrades to Help Sell Your House

A seller's edge...

Include popular, high-tech items to help sell your house.

The stock advice for homeowners putting a house on the market used to go like this: Give the exterior, or the front door, a fresh coat of paint; tame unruly shrubs, and swap out a few light fixtures, Daniel Wroclowski reports on consumerreports.org.

But today's home buyers are expecting a little more, he wrote.

According to Coldwell Banker's latest annual smart-home survey, most potential home buyers want smart-home tech pre-installed.

For more: https://www.consumerreports.org/smart-home/smart-home-tech-upgrades-to-help-sell-your-house/

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 
Aboard the U.S. Nuclear Sub Challenging Russia in the Arctic.